PayTag turns any mobile into contactless pay device

Barclaycard launched PayTag this week - a sticker which can be attached to any mobile phone converting it to a device which can be used to make payment at any Visa contactless pay point, debiting the customer's Visa card. PayTag is free of charge to all Barclaycard Visa customers.

The Barclaycard Visa cardholder can of course use their Barclaycard plastic card contactlessly already. However getting your card out of your wallet or purse and placing it close to the payment device has failed to take off as an attractive payment method whilst waving your mobile at the payment point is hoped to be seen as more acceptable - 'even cool' by some mobile phone users. Many cardholders do not realise the places where they can make a contactless payment further impeding the take-up of contactless payment. The current advertising encouraging contactless payment fails to highlight what a customer should look for at point of sale. This should perhaps be addressed as a matter of urgency and may be more important than adding to the number of payment devices a cardholder has in encouraging uptake.

Barclaycard announced that the contactless floor limit, will increase from £15 to £20 in June of this year. This is the payment limit under which no additional security information, such as a pin number, is normally required. This increase will help bring the UK into line with floor limits for contactless payment currently in use in other European countries and the United States.